about project
Leoš Janáček (1882)
The Čierna zem project aimed to bring Janáček’s work, and through it the foundation of his music—folk folklore—to the widest possible audience of contemporary listeners. It helps them realize that folk art is not dead, that Janáček is not just mandatory school performances or dull music lessons. The project does not intend to merely show something to its audience; it wants them to experience the powerful surge of emotions, to let themselves be swept away by an untamed wave of feelings, to feel the immense, timeless passions, to be overwhelmed by the almost unbelievable energy of this music, and to be dazzled by its vivid colors.
Janáček, like no one before him, captures the emotions of folk music with absolute fidelity, underscoring and amplifying them until they are almost tangible. He is a reflection of his time, of human lives mirrored in music. His poetic nature is warm, energizing, and infectious. His message to others lies in the fact that classical and folk music is not a contrived masquerade of long-forgotten lives and customs, but rather an untamed energy encapsulated in notes and tones.
“When interpreting Janáček’s music, I let my emotions guide me. To bring out the astonishing and captivating rawness of folk songs, I decided to abandon learned operatic singing techniques and let the music and texts lead me. They contain stories that I have the opportunity to tell—fates of people that continue to astonish and surprise, losing none of their intensity over time. I am caught in Janáček’s web of folk songs, and I am certain that I am not, and never will be, alone in it.”
The uniqueness of the stylizations of folk songs lies in the most sensitive preservation possible of the principles of folk art. Listeners become acquainted with the composer’s creative empathy and sensitivity to folk creativity. Janáček was a passionate, conflicted man, constantly seeking beauty and, above all, the essence of human nature—this is reflected not only in his arrangements of folk songs but also in his operas, piano cycles, sonatas, and more. By presenting “folkloric Janáček,” we can introduce him to a broad audience that has so far perceived only the complexity of the composer.
The project is unique in its form. It returns to an instrumentation that straddles the boundary between stylized folklore and folklore itself. We attempt to approach its original sound, replacing the piano with cimbaloms while preserving the harmony in the accompaniment. The singing is not folkloric but remains classical, yet straightforward and pure. This new approach gives the songs a different dimension and atmosphere.